Aviation Enthusiast, Saheed Mosadoluwa’s Brilliant Idea

Saheed Mosadoluwa, the CEO of Royal Crystal Aviation, is a perfect example of a down-to-earth businessman who has his hands in numerous successful ventures around the globe.

Ibile, as he is fondly called, is an industry player with over 20 years of experience in freight forwarding, cargo handling and general aviation. He has certificates on Certified Travel Industry Executives (CTIE) from Aviation International, after which he obtained the clearing and forwarding licence from the Nigerian Customs Service before approaching the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority where he obtained an Air Travel Organisers’ licence.

He also worked as the director of Operations with the defunct Kabo airline for nine years before he joined Saudis Gulf Airline, where he was made the Director of Hajj Operations for West Africa. His feat as a Hajj Operator, where he had a seamless operation in the movement of intending pilgrims from Ghana, Togo and the Benin Republic, also further reintroduced him to the Nigerian travelling population. His flight operations have seen him enter operational agreement with Sama Airline of Saudi Arabia and White Airways of Portugal.

Ibile believes that the lack of a national carrier or indigenous-owned airline that will ply most routes is part of the reasons Nigeria is facing price discrimination in the air travelling business. A good example was when Air Peace started plying Abu Dhabi, it forced the Emirates Airline to reduce the cost of flight tickets by about half.

He also believes that some privileged Nigerian states like Lagos and Kano can introduce state-owned airlines, which he said may be in the form of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). According to him, this will take the bulk of the problems associated with travelling by air off the state. He’s also an advocate of a professional-driven aviation industry which will see the regulators working with the interest of the local operators at heart.